Men's Heavyweight Crew

Rough Ride for Engineers at Princeton Chase

Nov 03, 2006

Nov. 3, 2006

PRINCETON, N.J. - One week after a fast race under beautiful conditions at the Head of the Charles, the MIT varsity heavyweights experienced another side of fall racing this past weekend at the Princeton Chase, on Lake Carnegie, in Princeton, N.J. Race organizers canceled both the small boats and fours races due to a brutal headwind on the course, which gusted to 40 miles per hour.

The eights raced as scheduled, and boats from many of the country's top rowing schools slugged their way down the 2 &frac34; mile course, dodging floating debris and disabled boats, and enduring gusts that slowed the strongest rowers to a crawl. The Engineers struggled in these conditions and finished 29th, beating only Dartmouth among EARC crews.

Coach Kilbridge told his rowers that the race showed how much work the team has to do this year to be successful in its all-important spring season, but that the conditions made it hard to judge the true relative speeds of the crews.

Since returning from Princeton, the MIT varsity rowers have been training in pairs to improve their boatmanship skills, before their last fall race, the Foot of the Charles, on Nov. 18.